Free Web NovelChapter 586: Chapter 534: Taking Root in the Mine Tunnels
On the peak of Wangjiang Mountain, Jiang Yuebai and Bai Jiuyou both concealed themselves within a shroud of blood mist, appearing indistinguishable from Blood Demons.
Both of them sat cross-legged on the ground, each holding a Demon Core, their brows furrowed in a manner that was uncanny in its similarity.
Just moments ago, Jiang Yuebai had burned one Blood Demon in half and devoured the other half. She acted so quickly that the alarm smoke on Wangjiang Mountain Peak had only just risen when she used the Space Great Array to envelop it, transferring the smoke elsewhere.
Burp~
Jiang Yuebai burped out a puff of black air. Though it was still somewhat nauseating, it was milder than the last time. She even detected a strange fragrance amidst the stench of Demonic Qi, reminiscent of the pickled bamboo shoots and fermented tofu she had eaten before.
Fresh Demon Cores often retain some of the Blood Demons’ memories. After examining these, Jiang Yuebai and Bai Jiuyou decided to disguise themselves as the two Blood Demons.
The names of the Demon Clan are peculiar, and if forced to translate them into Human Clan names, it would have to be based on their pronunciation.
These two were simply named ’Xu’ and ’Yi,’ each a single character.
Bai Jiuyou asked Jiang Yuebai, "Do you think these two are male or female?"
Jiang Yuebai scratched her brow. "Anan told me that the Demon Clan has no gender distinctions. In their various clans, the Golden Core Stage Magic Demons and Nascent Soul Stage Primordial Demons gather together to perform the ’Spawn Demon Ritual’ at fixed times annually."
"It’s where they separate numerous strands of Muddy Qi from their own Demon Cores, releasing them into the world. These strands will devour each other, with the strong surviving and the weak perishing, slowly forming new demons. It’s said each one can release hundreds of strands at a time, and those that release more are more respected by the Demon Clan."
Bai Jiuyou was amazed, "With such prolific spawning, does that mean the Demons can never be exterminated?"
"As long as Muddy Qi exists between heaven and earth, and living beings still harbor malice, demons can never be completely eradicated. Furthermore, Demons are inherently greedy and bloodthirsty, needing to devour various living beings to advance. Everywhere they go, they nearly always pollute the area with Muddy Qi to the point of uninhabitability."
"The time for their guard shift is nearing. I’ll play Xu, and you play Yi. After the shift, we can head over to the mines."
Bai Jiuyou nodded. For them to impersonate specific demons, they needed to absorb a wisp of Demonic Qi from the demon’s body to convert it into a similar aura using Chaos Qi.
For Blood Demons below the Golden Core Stage, each had just a Demon Core and a mass of blood mist without a human-like face, so Jiang Yuebai wasn’t entirely sure how they identified each other.
Occasionally, some Golden Core Stage Magic Demons and Nascent Soul Stage Primordial Demons would transform their Muddy Qi into a hard shell for Body Refining, having a preferred fixed image that they could be recognized by at a glance.
Jiang Yuebai resealed the alarm smoke and dismantled the Space Great Array, waiting with Bai Jiuyou for over an hour. Just as expected, two masses of blood mist swiftly approached from the direction of the mines.
Without unnecessary words upon arrival, they exchanged a glance, and Jiang Yuebai, with Bai Jiuyou, drifted as rolling blood mist toward the nearest mine.
There were three large mining grounds across the Taixuan Mountain Range, with the mines below intricately connected to one another.
As Jiang Yuebai proceeded, she found Wangjiang Mountain somewhat normal, for at least there were forests below and trees on the mountain.
The farther northwest they went, the sparser the vegetation became. The entire earth seemed stained by ink, with filth and blackness everywhere.
Nearing the mines, Jiang Yuebai and Bai Jiuyou landed on the ground. The layers of blackness on the rocks started hissing, wriggling like octopuses as they fled, rolling like tides, each about the size of a palm, revealing the polluted, decayed rocks and plants beneath.
Hidden within the blood mist, Jiang Yuebai took a long look at these creatures. In Zhur Jiuyou’s collection, they were known as ’Demon Octopus,’ a gregarious species categorized as Demon Insects and poisonous.
They originally parasitized the Demon Clan and are even more polluting than the demons themselves, able to quickly contaminate any area’s Spiritual Energy into Demonic Qi.
Wherever the Demon Clan appears, Demon Octopus are sure to follow, creating a habitable environment for the Demon Clan in the shortest time.
It’s said these creatures are valuable on the black market, with Demon Cultivators specifically collecting and nurturing them.
Slowing her pace, the blood mist around Jiang Yuebai sweepingly reduced the number of Demon Octopus and captured many, throwing them into her Lotus Platform Cave Heaven.
She separated a strand of Divine Thought, designating a yet-undeveloped barren land within the Lotus Platform Cave Heaven for Jixiang to guard those Demon Octopus, preventing them from running wild until she could settle in the spirit vein and study them closely.
At the mine’s perimeter, numerous Foundation Establishment Stage Earth Demons formed patrol squads, setting up a nearly impenetrable defensive line that sealed off the area.
These Earth Demons included not only Blood Demons but also fire-like Fire Demons shaped like clusters of dark purple flames and sharp Golden Demons resembling clusters of countless dark gold Golden Needles.
Most demons maintained a formless appearance, but some mimicked the mountain’s beasts, transforming into wolves and tigers, exuding Demonic Qi with ferocious appearances.
Roughly estimating, just one mine’s guardians from mountain base to peak numbered two to three thousand.
Jiang Yuebai found the Nascent Soul Stage Primordial Demon ’Yueh,’ responsible for this area, in a stone chamber at the mountain’s base as per the Blood Demons’ memories.
Yueh was a Golden Demon. To Jiang Yuebai’s surprise, it had taken on the form of a bald, muscular giant, its entire body in dark gold. Sitting still, it resembled a bronze statue of a Martial Monk from the Buddhist Sect, gleaming brightly.
The room was illuminated solely by its presence, its blood-red brass bell eyes glaring without eyebrows, appearing more comical than intimidating.
On first seeing it, Jiang Yuebai and Bai Jiuyou barely stifled a laugh.
"If nothing else, go patrol the mines. The revered one was injured by that Songfeng City arraying woman and needs the deepest Taixuan Golden Spirit Vein underground to recuperate. Tell the Scattered Demons and Earth Demons to hurry with the digging!"
Yueh instructed in a deep voice, and Jiang Yuebai was overjoyed, dutifully accepting the black stone token Yueh tossed over before leaving.
Jiang Yuebai felt as if her fortune had turned; previous endeavors always faced obstacles, but after breaking and rebuilding, everything now went smoothly.
When acquiring the Ten Thousand Years Cold Stalactite, it didn’t take much effort, and she later reached the Heavenly Spirit Realm to meet her master, uninterrupted, subsequently and effortlessly brought to the Heavenly Spear Realm by Uncle Fuyi.
Upon exiting the stone chamber, Jiang Yuebai couldn’t resist looking towards the sky. Was her luck better after Nirvana?
But why was she still so poor?
Entering the mine, Jiang Yuebai felt a sudden stir, a long-lost sensation boiling within.
Within the mine, the traffic consisted of Golden Demons, their bodies interwoven with golden needles, crackling—making her scalp tingle. They bore a resemblance to the aura on Yueh, and perhaps, they were its offshoots.
Jiang Yuebai suddenly wondered, with these spawned Scattered Demons, could Yueh sense their presence?
As these Scattered Demons cultivated, could Yueh rapidly enhance its cultivation by retrieving them?
Like the grass of the Demon Clan, occupying large areas with its seeds, letting them absorb Spiritual Energy for the main body.
New questions arose in Jiang Yuebai’s mind, viewing the Demon Clan as an unexplored treasure trove, igniting her desire for boundless exploration.
"Let’s move, why are you spacing out?"
Bai Jiuyou urged next to her, and Jiang Yuebai returned to her senses, holding the token as she passed through the Demon Octopus-formed barrier, delving deeper into the mine.
The Golden Demons emitted dark golden light naturally, negating the need for additional illumination, making the mine quite bright.
The Taixuan Gold on the outer rock walls was sparse. Most Golden Demons were concentrated in deeper locations, continuously ramming their bodies into walls, their golden needles shredding the rock.
Ordinary Taixuan Gold was consumed by Golden Demons to strengthen themselves, while higher-quality ones were set aside to be transported out by other Golden Demons.
The mine also contained numerous Human Cultivator corpses, reduced to blood-soaked skeletons, gradually consumed by the Demon Octopus.
Jiang Yuebai noticed several scattered storage bags, their tough exteriors resistant to Demon Octopus corrosion.
She discreetly collected them, uncovering maps of the mines and mining tools inside.
This area’s mines had three main paths, reaching 6,800 zhang deep underground, where the density of Taixuan Gold was much higher, making normal tools struggle to excavate, consuming time and effort.
Based on map markings, the two proceeded downward to the deepest point, where the mine’s sides were covered in deep black Taixuan Gold, possessing cloud patterns and faint golden light.
No Scattered Demons remained here, only Foundation Establishment Stage Earth Demons digging vigorously with golden needles.
Jiang Yuebai released Jixiang in secret to try digging. Jixiang’s claws easily shattered Taixuan Gold after the Earth Demons had struck it dozens of times.
Jiang Yuebai was overjoyed, setting up a Great Array in an unnoticed spot for Jixiang to dig rapidly, creating a hidden stone chamber deep in the rock wall with an entrance barely the size of a fist.
Next, as long as she staged the Blood Demons’ departure after patrolling and disappearance, she could temporarily stay and mine here for cultivation!
Their bodies maintained a demon appearance, exuding a demon aura—so even a Divinity Transformation Stage True Demon couldn’t drag her out of the mine.
